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'Viratball vs Bazball': Sunil Gavaskar's Bold Remark Ahead of IND vs ENG Test Series

image-lrn1u17eKohli will look to dominate the English bowlers in home conditions. (X.com) 

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar suggests that in response to England's Bazball strategy in the upcoming five-match Test series in India, starting in Hyderabad on January 25, the Indian team has its own 'Viratball.'

The Bazball strategy, known for its bold and aggressive play, aims to keep the game lively and seek results. However, implementing this approach in the spin-friendly conditions of India may pose a formidable challenge.

Nevertheless, the focus won't solely be on the clash between English batters and Indian spinners. For England to replicate their success in India as they did in 2012, they must take 20 wickets. England's bowlers, apart from James Anderson, lack experience in Indian conditions.

Leading India's batting charge will be Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Kohli, having scored the most runs against England from the current squad, is the one to watch, having amassed 1991 runs in 28 matches. Among these, 1015 runs have come at home, the most against any opposition, with an average of 56.38, including three centuries.

Sarcastically, Gavaskar remarked that if England has Bazball, India has Viratball.

"Agar unke bass Bazball hai to hamare pass Viratball hai (if they have Bazball, we have Viratball),"  Sunil Gavaskar told Star Sports.

Gavaskar believes that England's Bazball approach can be effective in India's spin-friendly conditions. He noted its similarities with T20 but backed the Indian spinners to come out on top. Gavaskar said:

"Bazball can work because, over the last few years, the boundaries have become shorter. The bats are also well-built that even mishits go for sixes. So, yes, why not, Bazball can work, and they will try to do it. They will try to hit over the ground when spinners come out to bowl. They might get out, but it builds a mentality because the spinners that we have also play a lot of T20s."

While Bazball has proven effective in home conditions and even in alien conditions, such as their historic 3-0 triumph in the Test series in Pakistan, the real challenge lies in its performance against the formidable Indian spinners on spin-friendly pitches. Unlike the batting-friendly pitches in Pakistan, Indian pitches are expected to favor spinners, presenting a significant challenge to the English side.

Despite anticipating challenging spin-friendly pitches, England might draw inspiration from Australia's success against India in Indore during the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where Australia emerged victorious on a turning track.